The Necromancer Who Was Despised

“Did the guardian of the imperial capital ask if you’re the descendant of the dragon?”

“Yes, yes!”

“As I said, I don’t know how it began. But the horned ones fought against the giants and their descendants. That’s enough. As the last dragon of my tribe, Tinos, I will recognize you as one of the dragon’s descendants.”

“Last… then the dragon is…”

“There isn’t one.”

Tinos calmly replied that he was the last surviving dragon, and now there were no dragons left.

“So be proud. The last dragon has recognized you as his descendant.”

Upon hearing this, Kelleto collapsed and wailed, and Ritihil, who knew of their hardships, couldn’t bear to look at Kelleto anymore.

Kelleto cried, shouting that it wasn’t a wrong feeling.

After a while, Tinos advised Kelleto to leave the alliance and join him, and Kelleto vowed to settle as close to Tinos as possible.

“By the way, do you have any treasures in your tribe?”

“We used to, but not anymore.”

They had lost everything while escaping the Great Forest.

Tinos said that there were few tribes left with treasures.

“Some tribes that branched out from the same tribe don’t have treasures, and the Red Ogre bastards can track the energy of treasures, so they’re relentless in their pursuit.”

“…That’s right. It was fortunate that we protected the Wind Dragon’s Fang.”

Ritihil said that there had been many sacrifices.

“Do you need this?”

At that moment, Atina, who had been quiet until then, spoke up.

“That’s right. I wanted to confirm if the dragon’s soul was left inside, so I called you.”

“You didn’t just ask for a weapon…”

“I heard that the weapon used by the warrior for a long time is special. Moreover, the weapon itself is special, so I hesitated to ask for just the weapon.”

In other words, she was showing consideration.

Atina looked slightly surprised, but not in a bad way.

It was clear how well Tinos had blended in with the group and how hard he was trying.

“Can I take a look?”

“There’s a reason why you can’t.”

Atina handed over the Wind Dragon’s Fang, and Tinos received the dagger and closed his eyes.

◈ Development

To sum it up, it failed.

Perhaps it was because of the magic, but the dagger seemed to be rejecting him.

“Even so, I found some traces. Although they were faint, there were remnants of the soul that had stayed. It seems that those who had heard the story from the previous horned ones were influenced by the residual thoughts.”

In other words, the soul itself had already left or been eliminated, and only some remnants remained, affecting the horned ones who were compatible.

“You can’t sense it, can you?”

Since there was no soul, there was no way to feel it.

Tinus tried to read the residual thoughts, but it seemed he failed.

“It seems the dragons didn’t think poorly of the Orcus since they didn’t bother them.”

Rithild’s face lit up with joy at his words.

After all, that treasure was currently owned by Atina, but it originally belonged to the Dolgaebara tribe.

It meant that the dragons they had served didn’t dislike them, so it was only natural to feel happy.

Tinus also had a somewhat relieved expression.

Although they had been recognized as the dragon’s descendants and had been praised for their achievements, if their predecessors hadn’t acknowledged them, it would have been uncomfortable.

But now that they had confirmed it wasn’t the case…

“It’s not a big deal since they’re already dead anyway.”

They didn’t know about the other dragons, but since the Wind Dragon had acted that way, they thought the other Orcus wouldn’t have been hated either.

“Residual thoughts…”

At that moment, Atina was staring at her dagger, which she had received back, with a curious expression.

“Hmm… I use mana, but can I not touch it either?”

“I don’t know. Rithild, how about you?”

“I… couldn’t touch it properly. It’s probably because I’m lacking.”

Rithild replied to Tinus with a bow.

“It’s unfortunate, but if it’s not compatible, there’s nothing we can do.”

Tinus spoke as if it was no big deal.

“Atina, don’t worry about it. It’s not like it means anything even if we try to touch it. You’re not an Orcus, anyway.”

“That’s true. I just thought it might be helpful to everyone.”

It meant they had tried to do it for the benefit of the whole group.

“There’s also simple curiosity.”

If there was a dragon’s residual thought left on her sword, it was natural to feel curious.

“Don’t worry about it and just use it as you always do. It’s not like it’ll harm anyone anyway.”

“Okay.”

If they hadn’t had this chance, they would have never confirmed it in their lifetime.

“Tsk. It’s enough to deal with the Temple of Light, and now we have to worry about the Southern Forest too.”

The mark left by the Twin Head Troll seemed to be quite large.

“…We can’t just leave it alone.”

As Tinus spoke, Rithild suddenly thought of something and asked him.

“But if it’s the Southern Forest, the Black Star wouldn’t be a pushover either. Did they not have any conflicts with them?”

“There weren’t any. The forest is vast, and their territory and ours, the Red Ogre’s, were quite far apart.”

“Now that the Ogre has won, should we just leave it alone?”

“I don’t know. At least, nothing will happen for now. They’ll focus all their energy on completely dominating our territory.”

It would take a long time to track down the remaining Orcus remnants and solidify their territory.

“After all, when I looked beyond the gate not long ago, it didn’t seem like they were at war or anything.”

It seemed that the other side was very self-centered, and even if that was the case, it was impossible to have such leisurely research in a situation where the group was at war, so Rithild’s words seemed to be right.

That day, Rithild, Kelleto, and Tinus had a lot of conversations.

Kyla, Artina, and I avoided our positions, and as the days changed, I approached the Dark Elf elders, telling them that we would accept Kelleto and dot com

“It seems they’ve changed their minds after seeing how we treat the Horned Orcs.”

“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t matter. They’re not a big problem anyway, since they couldn’t adapt to the alliance.”

“Didn’t they receive better treatment in their past lives? Or is it because they’re isolated and the information didn’t reach them properly?”

Or maybe it was just a simple PR play.

In any case, since I benefited from the situation, I didn’t mind much.

“I’ll make sure to relay the message to the alliance.”

From the Dark Elves’ perspective, it was more beneficial for the Horned Orcs to join us rather than the alliance, so they were quite cooperative.

“…We should give them a place in the barren lands.”

Thanks to the supplies they brought, we wouldn’t have any problems for a while, but if the construction took too long, we could face difficulties.

Of course, the supply chain was still going smoothly.

I wondered how they managed to supply materials so smoothly even during the war, but it seemed they were mainly using the families that had surrendered to the empire or had been destroyed and rebuilt.

The royal families that had surrendered to the empire and the imperial family itself had opened their warehouses, so they couldn’t resist much.

“…I guess we have no choice but to ask Prina for help.”

These people wouldn’t leave Tino’s side anyway.

Still, once the trade route was complete, our problems would be solved.

The key was that the construction period couldn’t be delayed.

And the core of it was how quickly the Black Mages, including myself, could secure safety.

“I’m confident.”

I had handled the barren lands in a similar way, and there was nothing I couldn’t do.

After the Huangto’s Guardian Clan officially joined me, Kelleto came to find me and said he would keep Tino’s existence a secret for now.

“I’ll reveal it when you reach 8th Class.”

Tino’s eyes shone with strong desire and hope when he said that.

“…8th Class.”

It felt far away to me, but people around me seemed to demand it easily.

Of course, I wasn’t the type to get swept away by such talk, but when I heard it, I sometimes felt a spark of ambition.

“…Someday…”

Not now, though.

The construction resumed quickly.

The trade route was important not only for the 6 Kingdoms Alliance and the Interracial Alliance but also for me, and it had become urgent.

There were no complaints when I took the initiative.

The Undead buildings made of ash-colored stone had to be designed to be as fortified as possible while also being maintainable in the long run.

To achieve that, I gathered with the two elders, Tino, and Yeriya.

“The easiest way is to use a corpse pit.”

“It’s a shame to waste infinite magic.”

“The wall side has a good idea. We can use the roots of dead trees…”

Since magic was infinite, the elders came up with ideas they hadn’t used before, and Yeriya, who had experience building her own dungeon, actively cooperated.

“Regular maintenance is good, but the best way is to self-sustain using magic and maintain it semi-permanently.”

If we had to do regular maintenance, it would be a hassle, but my influence would grow anyway.

The only downside was that if it was too frequent, I would have to stay in this place alone for a long time…

“Creating a magic source is as good as having a Catacomb…. “

Catacomb. A symbol of revival and downfall for the Dark Elves.

As soon as the story came out, the two elders and Yeriya’s faces darkened.

However, it was only temporary. Since I promised to revive the Catacomb, I could shake off the negative energy.

“Then what about this?”

Tinus then opened his mouth.

“Do-in-ha, you have the ability to create infinite black water.”

“…Is that so?”

“Using that to fill a lake and create an artificial river to supply magic to each fortress is a good idea, don’t you think?”

“…….”

The group fell silent at his words.

“What kind of crazy talk is that? If we do that, black mages will flock from all over the place?”

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t protect this long river from being tainted by magic.

If we did that, the entire area would be contaminated with magic, and monsters would go wild. I didn’t have the confidence to handle it.

“There’s no need to keep it open all the time. We’ll just open it when necessary, and it’ll be dry otherwise… so it’ll be close to a dam.”

“But isn’t the lake always exposed? We need to keep guarding it, don’t we?”

“If we succeed in guarding it, the trade route will completely fall into your hands.”

“Even if that’s not the case, with a permit, isn’t the trade route practically yours?”

“Do you think the two alliances can’t take it away if they work together?”

That’s true.

“If the land is filled with magic, it’ll be hard for them to take it away. The trade route will be yours forever.”

“Hmm… “

The risk is enormous, but the return is also tremendous.

“…Are you saying we should turn the Monster Forest into a land of death?”

“Exactly. Only the area around the trade route will be like that. If it’s not that extent, it’ll be hard for you to handle the trade route alone without regular maintenance.”

The 6 Kingdom Alliance and the Inter-Species Alliance were also considering creating a trade route, taking into account the current situation.

“Anyway, with the power of the two nations… “

Exactly, the Inter-Species Alliance had almost taken the lead, but considering the relationship with the 6 Kingdom Alliance and the benefits they could gain in the future, it was right for the two alliances to collaborate.

I was saying I would do it alone. If I didn’t have achievements in the barren land, I wouldn’t have the trust of the Governor, the Dark Elves, the Orcs, and the Linate Territory.

“…It’s a risk… “

“It’s hard to try anyway. The 6 Kingdom Alliance is busy with the Empire and the 2 Kingdoms, and the Inter-Species Alliance is fighting against the Sacred Empire, so they can’t pay attention to this place. Now is the right time.”

There was no need to worry about merchants using a place filled with magic.

“Of course, we’ll use it.”

We’ll hire a priest to use it. The profit is that great.

Moreover, the alliances had to use it to support each other.

“…A safe land filled with magic. That’s great.”

Then, one of the elders, Pret, murmured with a almost dazed expression.

“If it’s a place like that, we can act freely. Even if the Catacomb is gone… “

“No, the Catacomb is necessary. It’s easier to guard that way. But if we have a lake created by magic, that’s… “

…Somehow, this absurd opinion was receiving enthusiastic support from the three Dark Elves.

“…Are you really going to do that?”

“The timing is crucial, and we can give it a try. The Elfians and the Holy Empire won’t have the time to pay attention to us, and the 6 Kingdoms Alliance is also in a state of chaos, aren’t they?”

If it were a normal time, it would be a huge commotion, but now is an emergency.

Especially since the trade route is being established, it will be a great help to both alliances, so even if I make a mistake, both sides won’t be able to turn a blind eye.